Tuesday, September 29, 2009

Ariesta Birawa Group - Vol. 1 (Indonesia 1973)

Released in 1973, this is the first CD version of this psychedelic pop album. Much of the inventive melodies, delicate harmonies, and breezy guitars are rooted in the '60s Western tradition but contain enough twists on the genre to give the tunes a subtly unique flavor. While not terribly groundbreaking, this album does hold the distinction of being the firstavailable psychedelic album from Indonesia.~ Contributed by Matthew Amundsen

Shadoks' first release from Indonesia is very special and was featured in Hans Pokora's 4001 Record Collector Dreams book as one of the rarest items from Asia. Originally released in 1973, this album contains beautiful, well-crafted songs with lots of guitars. Pure, heavy psychedelic with a good progressive Indonesian touch. If you like Juan De La Cruz' Maskara, or the Cambodian Rocks comp, this one is for you. If there would be a Vertigo release recorded in Indonesia this could be it. So far the only psychedelic release from Indonesia on the market, this CD version of the previously-released LP became a big success.~ Internet Source.----------------------------------------------------------------------------------It doesn�t take long after cracking open Hans Pokora�s renowned 4001 Record Collector Dreams (part 4 of the amazing record collector book series concentrating on rare Folk, Psychedelic, Progressive, Garage and Beat music from �Austria to New Zealand�) before stumbling across three serious-looking, hippified Indonesians, one with a mini-fro and a killer stache, who go by the Ariesta Birawa Group. Originally released in 1973 and extremely rare, �Vol. 1, Indonesia� contains twelve 3-minute songs of psychedelic guitar-heavy songs that draw as much from their geographic roots as it does the Western 70s psych scene, like Hendrix�s melodic electric-funk accentuated by Eastern flute and exotic stringed instruments. One of the very few psychedelic re-releases from Indonesia, this album will please fans of worldly, psych and progressive tastes though don�t be scared, it is more accessible than you think, as well as connoisseurs of compilations like Cambodia Rocks. Releases like this one are why labels like Normal and distributors like Forced Exposure are so amazing.~ Internet Source.